My Deer Friend Nokotan
My Deer Friend Nokotan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Oshioshio. It began serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Shōnen Magazine Edge in November 2019. After the magazine's discontinuation in October 2023, it was transferred to Kodansha's Magazine Pocket manga website in December the same year. An anime television series adaptation produced by Wit Studio aired from July to September 2024.
Plot
Torako Koshi, a second-year at Hino Minami High School, maintains a perfect student image to hide her delinquent past. Her life turns chaotic when she meets Noko Shikanoko, a transfer student who is actually a sika deer in human form. Reluctantly, Torako becomes Noko's guide to human life and leads the newly-formed Deer Club. Nicknamed "Koshi-tan" by Noko, Torako struggles to balance her model student façade with the club's bizarre and psychotic activities. This unlikely friendship challenges Torako's carefully constructed identity and cripples her sanity, which often leads to comical situations as she navigates school life with a deer-girl in tow.Characters
Deer Club
;Noko Shikanoko / Nokotan;Torako Koshi / Koshitan
;Anko Koshi / Koshian
;Meme Bashame / Bashame
Student Council
;Neko Nekoyamada / Cat;Kinu Tanukikōji / Japanese raccoon dog
;Chiharu Tsubameya / Barn swallow
Deer Hole
;Kyun-chan;Chikamaru-kun and Hana-chan
;Sento-kun
;John Miura
Other characters
;Narrator;Tsunoda
;Yoshiharu Tsubameya
;Ukai
;Mitsu Inukai
;Tsucchi
;Sōichirō Kumatori
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Oshioshio, My Deer Friend Nokotan began serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Shōnen Magazine Edge on November 15, 2019. After the final issue of the Shōnen Magazine Edge was published on October 17, 2023, the series was transferred to the Magazine Pocket website on December 20 the same year. The series' chapters have been collected in eight volumes as of January 2026. The series is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in March 2024. It is produced by Wit Studio and directed by Masahiko Ohta, with Takashi Aoshima writing and supervising scripts, Ayumu Tsujimura designing the characters, and Yasuhiro Misawa composing the music. The series aired from July 7 to September 22, 2024, on Tokyo MX and. The opening theme is "Shikairo Days" performed by Megumi Han, Saki Fujita, Rui Tanabe, and Fūka Izumi as their respective characters in the Deer Club, while the ending theme is "Shika-senbei no Uta" performed by Han and Fujita as their respective characters. Remow licensed the series and announced worldwide streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Anime Onegai, ADN, Crunchyroll, and Tubi.Reception
Anime
Although the work was relatively litlle known outside of Japan before the anime adaptation, after the show's premiere, first the anime and then the manga went viral and acquired a memetic reputation. In particular, the anime's title trended on TikTok and won several "buzzword" awards due to its rhythmic repetition in the show's opening theme. While the original story initially had some potential of this as a gag comedy, the staff of the anime adaptation admitted to being shocked by the speed of development and the scale of its popularity.| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | |
| 2024 | TikTok Trend Awards | Hot Word | Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan | Won | |
| 2024 | TikTok Awards Japan | Anime of the Year | My Deer Friend Nokotan | Nomitated | |
| 2024 | Anime Buzzword Awards | Silver Prize | Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan | Won | |
| 2024 | Abema Anime Trend Awards | Anime Marketing Award | My Deer Friend Nokotan | Won | |
| 2025 | Character Song Award | "Shikairo Days" | Nomitated | ||
| 2025 | Project Award | "Shikairo Days" | Won | ||
| 2025 | Anikara Award | "Shikairo Days" | Nomitated | ||
| 2025 | AT-X | Top Anime Ranking | My Deer Friend Nokotan | ||
| 2025 | 11th Anime Trending Awards | Opening Theme Song of the Year | "Shikairo Days" | Nomitated | |
| 2025 | 11th Anime Trending Awards | Best Voice Acting Performance – Female | Saki Fujita | Nomitated | |
| 2025 | 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Comedy | My Deer Friend Nokotan | Nomitated | |
| 2025 | 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Slice of Life | My Deer Friend Nokotan | Nomitated | |
| 2025 | Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Slice of Life | My Deer Friend Nokotan | Nomitated | |
| 2025 | 47th Anime Grand Prix | Best Theme Song | "Shikairo Days" by Deer Club |